Angelina Jolie's “Maleficent” beats “X-Men” to top box office

June 2, 2014 - 12:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Disney's “Maleficent” is running away with the weekend crown after a $24.2 million first day Friday, May 30 but how powerful a box-office spell Angelina Jolie's live-action fairy tale casts remains to be seen, TheWrap said.

It's on pace to top $65 million and still has a shot at $70 million, depending on the extent to which the mini-van crowd turns out on Saturday and Sunday. It received an “A” CinemaScore from fan girl-dominated first night audiences, so word of mouth should be strong, and there's not much competition for families.

Fox's “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” last week's No. 1 movie, was a distant second and heading for a $31 million weekend after taking in $9.4 million Friday. That would be a roughly 66 percent drop from the Marvel mutant mashup's $90 million debut, steep given its strong reviews and “A” CinemaScore.

Universal's “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” the weekend's only other wide opener, was third on Friday with just over $6 million. That puts Seth MacFarlane's R-rated comedy Western, the followup to his hit 2012 comedy “Ted,” on pace for a $16 million weekend that would be short of expectations that were modest to begin with. It received a “B” CinemaScore.

It was never a fair fight. Disney's $180 million effects-heavy “Sleeping Beauty” update is in 3,948 theaters, mostly premium-priced 3D and all the IMAX locations, and “Days of Future Past” is on a market-high 4,001. The $40 million “A Million Ways to Die,” a co-production with Media Rights Capital, is in 3,158.

Things didn't improve much for “Blended,” the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore romantic comedy. It took in $2.4 million Friday and is looking at a $7.6 million second week for Warner Bros., which would be a decent 45 percent drop. It was running fifth, behind “Godzilla.” The monster remake from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. is heading for an $11 million third week after taking in $3.3 million Friday. It's up to $165 million domestically and is over $330 million worldwide.

Another of Universal's R-rated comedies, “Neighbors,” took in $2.4 million Friday and was looking at sixth place and around $7.2 million for the three days. That would raise the domestic total for the Seth Rogen-Zac Efron frat vs. family tale to $128 million in is fourth week.

Sony's “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and Disney's Jon Hamm baseball movie “Million Dollar Arm” were battling for seventh, with both looking at around $3.5 million for the weekend. Sony's Marvel superhero sequel is about to cross $190 million domestically and has taken in more than $680 million worldwide in five weeks.

Open Road Films’ Jon Favreau food truck comedy “Chef” and Fox's “The Other Woman” were ninth and tenth. The Cameron Diaz comedy will top $80 million domestically this weekend, its sixth.

“Maleficent” also debuts this weekend in 47 foreign markets and has already taken in more than $20 million overseas. “A Million Ways to Die in the West” rolls out in 22 overseas territories this weekend.